This Creamy Shrimp Pasta reminds me of my favorite dish at Olive Garden. The creamy Alfredo sauce generously coats the juicy shrimp and noodles. Your family will be humming with every bite and will request it for dinner again and again. One of our favorite shrimp recipes!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
If you cook the sauce while the pasta is on the stove, you can be done with the entire meal in under 30 minutes. It’s so simple and has a short list of ingredients, but tastes restaurant quality. This homemade creamy shrimp pasta is way better than going out because it’s not overly salty like dining out tends to be and you don’t get the big bill at the end of your meal #winning!!
Watch How to Make Creamy Shrimp Pasta Recipe:
This is one of the best reviewed recipes on our blog and for good reason (read the glowing reviews here). Creamy shrimp pasta is super easy and tasty! Many of you have told me that you love it more than Olive Garden’s Shrimp alfredo, which is an amazing compliment.
Want to Substitute the Wine?
No problem! Here is a great white wine substitute: squeeze some lemon juice into the sauce after adding the cream, adding the lemon juice to taste (about 1/2 medium lemon) then season to taste with salt, pepper and paprika. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not concentrate.
Make-Ahead tip: This pasta tastes just as good the next day! Add a splash of milk and reheat slowly over lower heat until very warm/hot but not simmering. As with any alfredo pasta, reheating over high heat will cause the cream to separate and liquify into butter.
Funny how that little bit of black pepper, parsley and parmesan cheese really fancies it up at the end, making it look and feel like fine dining. It’s the perfect time to whip out that hand cranked pepper mill to set the mood! 😉
Pasta Recipes to Explore:
These are the most popular pasta recipes on our blog – the top rated and best loved.
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta – Can you tell we love shrimp pasta recipes?
- Lasagna Casserole – All the classic flavors of Lasagna made easy!
- Slow Cooker Lasagna – This one has a make-ahead option
- Spaghetti and Meatballs – The juiciest meatballs we’ve tried!
- Chicken Tetrazzini – A must try, creamy chicken pasta bake
⬇ Print-Friendly Shrimp Pasta Recipe:
Creamy Shrimp Pasta Recipe (VIDEO)

Ingredients
- 3/4 lb fettuccini pasta
- 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 ct)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, (medium), finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 cup white wine, I used Chardonnay
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp paprika, or to taste
- 1 Tbsp Parsley, finely chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Add 3/4 lb pasta to a pot of boiling water with 1 Tbsp salt and cook according to package instructions until al-dente. Drain without rinsing and set aside.
- While pasta is cooking, prepare the shrimp and sauce. Season shrimp with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/4 tsp paprika. Place a large, non-stick pan over medium/high heat and add 1 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add shrimp in a single layer and cook 2 min per side or just until cooked through and no longer translucent. Remove to a separate dish to prevent overcooking.
- In the same hot pan, add 2 Tbsp butter with finely chopped onion and sauté until soft and golden (3-5 mins), stirring often. Add minced garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant. Stir in 1/3 cup white wine and boil down until there is only 25% of the liquid left.
- Stir in 2 cups cream, bring to a light boil then simmer 2 min. Sprinkle sauce with 1/3 cup parmesan cheese and stir just until creamy and smooth. Let it come just to a simmer without boiling then turn off the heat and season sauce with more salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
- Stir in the drained pasta and cooked shrimp, tossing until noodles are well coated in sauce. Serve in warm pasta bowls with a generous sprinkle of finely chopped parsley, more parmesan cheese and some freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Tools We Used in this Recipe (Amazon affiliate links):
Boos Dark Cutting Board
Glass Mixing Bowls
Blue Staub Pan with Lid
5 1/2 Qt Dutch Oven Pot
Cook’s Knife
Love shrimp? Explore all of our top shrimp recipes here. I hope this easy shrimp pasta becomes a new favorite for you!
P.S. Because I’ve had loads of questions about omitting the wine – I think the wine really makes the flavor in this dish next-level delicious but if you prefer not to use it, the recipe still works, just replace it with chicken broth, season the sauce to taste and add a splash of lemon juice for extra flavor.
Hi Natasha, sorry if this question was asked before and I just couldn’t find, but can I substitute cream for half and half in this recipe ?
Hi Olga, half and half is a little trickier because it is more likely to curdle with wine or lemon juice. We use half and half in our chicken fettuccini Alfredo but that doesn’t have any wine or acidity in the cream.
Hi! If I use pre-cooked shrimp for this recipe, would you suggest just 30 sec in the pan with the salt/pepper and paprika? I don’t want to over cook. Thanks for any guidance on this.
Hi Ann, yes, just enough time to heat it through.
Loved it. This is definitely a keeper. The better and fresher the ingredients, the tastier it is. I would serve this to guests without a moment’s hesitation.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Can you use half and half instead of whipping cream? Making this fur my husbands birthday tonight and don’t want to mess it up.
Hi Theresa, half and half is a little trickier because it is more likely to curdle with wine or lemon juice. We use half and half in our chicken fettuccini Alfredo but that doesn’t have any wine or acidity in the cream.
My God!!!! That was so delicious…..simple and easy….will be making this a lot!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Would evaporated milk be an okay substitute for the cream or do you think it would curdle?
Hi Ashley, I haven’t tried that with evaporated milk. I worry it will be too thin. If you experiment, please let me know how you like that.
This is really good recipe. Our whole family loves this dish.
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Zoya!
Its a perfect meal for every event. Absolutely, love it.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Lucia!
Sorry….I forgot to add my 5 Star rating…🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
You’re so nice! Thank you Suz!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’m wondering if I can cut some of the calories/fat by substituting something for the whipping cream.
Any suggestions?
Hi Lisa, I’m not sure what products are available there to be honest, but even a regular whipping cream would work which has a slightly lower fat content but will still produce a creamy sauce.
It was so flipping amazing, my full loved it. GREAT!!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Thank you for sharing this recipe Natasha. I made this today and it was a bit, even for my picky eater (10 yr old). To quote him, he said this pasta was “exceptional.” It was easy, yet tasty. Happy New Year to you and your family.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
I only have a Riesling can I use
Hi Sue, I think riesling should work fine.
YUM! This is easily one of my new favorite recipes. I made this for my boyfriend’s family and they absolutely loved it! I think the win really added a great depth of flavor. I added spinach to mine just for some extra green. Definitely a 10/10 recipe, thanks for sharing
I’m so happy to hear that, Brittany! Thank you for that great review!
Thank you so much for sharing! Really easy recipe and delicious!
You’re welcome! This recipe is definitely easy and so delicious! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Eliminate the dairy or think about a recipe with coconut milk and plant based butter. Too much dairy in your recipes.
Thank you for that suggestion, Joe.
Joe there are plenty of vegan websites for recipes with those ingredients ‘Oh She Glows’ is an excellent one.
Hi Natasha. I dont have wine. Could I replace it with something else?
Hi Ana, You can definitely try it without the wine, Marsha. One of our readers, Milla, recently wrote “Made this for my husband tonight. Had no wine or chicken stock so used vegetable stock and dash for lemon (and a little extra paprika) and he LOVED it.
sweet or smoked paprika?
Hi Dianne, we used regular paprika.
Could you use whole milk instead of whipping cream?
Hi Diana, the sauce would not thicken properly using milk.
Is there a type of Chardonnay you use? I would love to try this
Hi Veronica, the Chardonnay used here was St. Chapelle I believe, but I have experimented with different brands and pretty much any chardonnay will work here as long as it isn’t labeled “cooking wine”
Hi Natasha, I tried this recipe the other night for the first time. I am 65 yrs old and a fairly good cook but never tried making creamy shrimp pasta before. Your recipe was so easy to follow and the results were fabulous. I have spent a good portion of the morning printing out a lot of your other recipes as I am sure they are all just as good as this one. Thanks so much!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles, Susan!
Recipes look fabulous But to be able to print them out is Not.
Hi Gerri, we have a printable option towards the bottom of each recipe. The print friendly recipe is at the bottom of each post. Once you scroll there, click on the print icon in that recipe card which will open a print screen, then you would need to click file —> print. I hope that helps! If not, please let me know exactly what steps you are taking and where you are navigating to print our recipes.
Hi natasha,
I am new to your channel. Is there a substitute for whipping cream?
Hi Yoges, great question! I haven’t tried it with half and half, but I think it would work. It would be a little thinner of a sauce so you may need to simmer the half and half a little longer before adding the cheese. One of my readers wrote in with a great review on this recipe saying: “I use half and half and then add a little more butter since I tend to have half and half in the house” I hope that helps!